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1
HOUSE JOINT RESOLUTION

 
2    WHEREAS, In order to minimize the serious impact of all
3types of crime, especially violent crime, upon Illinois
4residents, it is necessary for Illinois to be protected by a
5crime lab that is operated by the Illinois State Police in a
6manner that complies with state-of-the-art specifications for
7the rapid processing of evidence and identification of criminal
8suspects; and
 
9    WHEREAS, In response to this need, the Illinois State
10Police has established a Division of Forensic Services,
11commonly referred to as the "State crime lab"; and
 
12    WHEREAS, It has been publicly known for several years that
13there is a serious backlog in the time required for biological
14evidence to be processed for the establishment of admissible
15forensic evidence after that forensic evidence has been
16recovered from crime scenes, processed by law enforcement, and
17transferred to the Division of Forensic Services; and
 
18    WHEREAS, This backlog in the examination process includes
19numerous cases where the processing of evidence collected
20following incidents of violent crimes, including murders,
21shootings, and criminal sexual assaults, is seriously delayed;
22and
 

 

 

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1    WHEREAS, It typically takes at least one year for
2biological evidence to be processed by the Illinois State
3Police crime lab; and
 
4    WHEREAS, DNA evidence is critical to the solution of
5crimes, especially in murder cases and sexual assaults, where
6the biological evidence may be the last resort, the only thing
7tying a murderer or rapist to a crime scene and a victim in a
8way that can be proved in a court of law; and
 
9    WHEREAS, In today's climate where police and prosecutors
10are increasingly scrutinized about their procedures, DNA
11evidence is crucial to the successful prosecution of criminal
12cases in the courtroom; and
 
13    WHEREAS, Modern biochemistry has developed the Rapid DNA
14system, a system to enable the fully automated generation of a
15full DNA profile from a cheek swab without human intervention;
16the ability of Rapid DNA to carry out the efficient profiling
17of criminal suspects has led Congress to pass the federal Rapid
18DNA Act of 2017, which has been signed into federal law as P.L.
19115-50; and
 
20    WHEREAS, This federal law directs the Federal Bureau of
21Investigation (FBI) to issue standards and procedures to create

 

 

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1a nationwide police protocol for using Rapid DNA instruments to
2analyze DNA samples of criminal offenders and criminal suspects
3and to compile the data gathered therein within the Combined
4DNA Index System or CODIS; and
 
5    WHEREAS, The 50 states and their residents will not enjoy
6the benefits of Rapid DNA technology and the ability to conduct
7instant CODIS identification of criminal suspects who have
8already been taken into custody until they take steps to comply
9with the protocol outlined in the Rapid DNA Act of 2017 and
10implemented by FBI standards and procedures; and
 
11    WHEREAS, The usefulness of the CODIS system as a nationwide
12database will depend upon the relative compliance of local law
13enforcement throughout all 50 states; for reasons of both local
14criminal justice and so that our State can do its part, it is
15essential that Illinois law enforcement be granted the support
16tools they need to feed data into CODIS for nationwide access;
17therefore, be it
 
18    RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE ONE
19HUNDREDTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, THE SENATE
20CONCURRING HEREIN, that the Auditor General is directed to
21conduct a performance audit of the Illinois State Police
22Division of Forensic Services; and be it further
 

 

 

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1    RESOLVED, That the audit include, but not be limited to, an
2examination of the Division's equipment, procedures, and
3staffing levels, with the goal of identifying and reporting to
4the General Assembly as soon as possible on barriers and choke
5points in the way of full Illinois State Police and local law
6enforcement compliance with the protocols created by the
7federal Rapid DNA Act of 2017; and be it further
 
8    RESOLVED, That the Illinois State Police is directed to
9comply fully and promptly with all features of this audit,
10including elements aimed at identifying the increased
11personnel and budgetary support required for the Illinois State
12Police and local law enforcement to achieve full compliance;
13and be it further
 
14    RESOLVED, That the Auditor General commence this audit as
15soon as possible and report his findings and recommendations
16upon completion in accordance with the provisions of Section
173-14 of the Illinois State Auditing Act; and be it further
 
18    RESOLVED, That the Illinois State Police and its Division
19of Forensic Services are directed to take all steps possible to
20achieve compliance, or partial compliance, on the statewide
21crime lab level with the federal Rapid DNA Act of 2017 prior to
22full implementation of any recommendations handed down by the
23Auditor General; and be it further
 

 

 

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1    RESOLVED, That we express continued support to all of
2Illinois law enforcement, including but not limited to the
3Illinois State Police, for their tireless and courageous work
4to maintain public security in the face of growing challenges
5created by drug violence and other social trends; and be it
6further
 
7    RESOLVED, That suitable copies of this resolution be
8delivered to Governor Bruce Rauner, Director of the Illinois
9State Police Leo P. Schmitz, Col. Sean Cormier of the Illinois
10State Police Division of Forensic Services-Forensic Sciences
11Command, and Auditor General Frank J. Mautino.